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Boston University prepares for WUSA
BOSTON (U-WIRE) -- Nickerson Field is undergoing renovations this winter that will allow Boston University's soccer teams to host NCAA postseason games for the first time, as well as prepare the venue to be the home of the Boston Breakers, a team in the new women's professional soccer league, due to start this summer. The stadium, which held 10,000 spectators before renovations, will seat a new capacity of 12,000. Alterations will include widening the field surface to 120x70 yards, redoing four sections of balcony seats, adding 2,000 chairback seats and building luxury suites and a hospitality club. Before that can happen, however, the entire field surface will be replaced. The AstroTurf that has covered the field since 1963 was stripped away last week and will soon be replaced by FieldTurf, described by its company as a "revolutionary synthetic grass, an artificial surface that duplicates the playing conditions of a real grass." BU will be the first college in the Boston area to adopt FieldTurf, said Alan Weinberger, athletic facilities manager. "From a soccer perspective [FieldTurf] is much more favorable in the eyes of the NCAA," Weinberger said. "It's more carpeted, has a raised blade of two and a half inches and has the look and feel of natural grass." FieldTurf has been installed at Husky Stadium, the temporary home of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks and permanent home of The University of Washington Huskies, as well as soccer fields in England and Canada. The University of Massachusetts at Lowell plays on a similar surface. AstroTurf, introduced in the 1970s, is looked down upon as a soccer surface because of the hardness of the concrete below it, as well as the turfburn injuries that players can incur. "[The Breakers] are doing some improvements that we might not otherwise have been able to do in the short term," said BU spokesman Colin Riley. The Breakers will fund all renovations to the field and stadium. Riley said the deal, finalized in December, is a win-win situation which will provide the Breakers with a convenient home while maximizing the use of the field and benefiting BU athletes. "They were trying to find a venue in the heart of Boston that has a strong athletic tradition," Weinberger said. Nickerson Field has a history of hosting professional teams, including the Boston Braves, Boston Patriots and a team in the now defunct U.S. Football League, also named the Boston Breakers. "Our first choice has always been a location in Boston, and BU not only meets, but exceeds all of our expectations. It presents an ideal size and location, with complete access to public transportation," said Breakers General Manager Joe Cummings in a Jan. 12 press conference. Mayor Thomas Menino, Breakers owner Amos Hostetter and BU President Jon Westling attended the press conference. "With the tremendous growth in popularity that soccer has enjoyed in this country, we're especially happy to serve as host to the Boston Breakers," Westling said. "Thanks to the renovations underway at Nickerson Field, our own outstanding men's and women's soccer programs will now be able to host top collegiate soccer teams from around the country here on our own turf," he said. Nickerson Field is home to four varsity teams -- men's and women's soccer, field hockey and women's lacrosse -- as well club and intramural squads. Despite going undefeated in America East play last season, the BU women's soccer team had to travel to Hartford to play conference tournament games because Nickerson was deemed unfit for tournament action. The new surface is expected to be completely installed before the Breakers open their season May 5. The team will play 11 home games during the spring and summer.
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